This was a difficult book to read, maybe because his tragic life is known. You knew there was no happy ending and were compelled to continue to watch him spiral down through the eyes of his "doctor" and friend.

"the summer of 1890, in the French town of Auvers-sur-Oise, Vincent van Gogh shot himself in the chest with a revolver. He died two days later, at the age of thirty-seven, largely unknown despite having completed over two thousand works of art that would go on to become some of the most important and valued in the world.
In this riveting novel, Carol Wallace brilliantly navigates the mysteries surrounding the master artist’s death, relying on meticulous research to paint an indelible portrait of Van Gogh’s final days—and the friendship that may or may not have destroyed him. Telling Van Gogh’s story from an utterly new perspective—that of his personal physician, Dr. Gachet, specialist in mental illness and great lover of the arts—Wallace allows us to view the legendary painter as we’ve never seen him before. In our narrator’s eyes, Van Gogh is an irresistible puzzle, a man whose mind, plagued by demons, poses the most potentially rewarding challenge of Gachet’s career."

In the author's note at the end of the book, Wallace reveals that this story came about after researching printmaker Charles Méryon for her master's degree. Once she realized that the Dr. Gachet that treated Méryon for madness was the same one as depicted in the van Gogh portrait of the same name, her writing took a turn to focus on the famous painter. After performing countless hours of research, the author presents her take on van Gogh's final days. Much of the story is constructed using over 900 letters van Gogh and his brother Theo exchanged. Knowing this gives a certain weight and depth to the narrative that might not otherwise be present.

Leaving Van Gogh is told from Dr. Gachet's point of view and takes place in the small town of Auvers in the French countryside. Gachet's wife has passed from tuberculosis, and he lives with his son, daughter, and housekeeper. Van Gogh's brother Theo comes to the doctor to seek his help in caring for the artist after his release from the St. Rémy asylum. Gachet's background is in mental illness, and he's worked in two hospitals. That experience combined with his own skills and appreciation for painting makes him the perfect candidate to care for the ailing van Gogh. The rest of the story focuses on the trials suffered by both doctor and patient. I don't want to give anything away, but if you know anything about van Gogh's life then you know how the story will unfold.

For me, the descriptions of the paintings are where the novel excelled. Many people considered these parts to be too technical, but I found them most appealing. Wallace was definitely able to convey how great an artist van Gogh truly was, from simple portraits to sweeping landscapes. I often found myself online searching for a particular work described, and that gave the overall reading a nice visual layer.

While this was a fascinating look at van Gogh's illness, I wasn't as completely absorbed in the narrative. I enjoyed the story overall, but I felt a little restless at times and lost focus. The writing was a little on the academic side, which is what I think kept me from feeling more connected to the characters. The author didn't take too many liberties with the historical facts, but I wish there had been a little more action as the plot wasn't very meaty. The more I learned about the doctor, the less I cared for him. He comes across as indifferent and is often harsh and uncaring towards his children. A lot of the story focused on Dr. Gachet's life apart from van Gogh, including his time at the mental hospital and his wife's death, and this is where I felt the narrative began to drag. I wish Wallace had kept the focus a little more on Vincent, but that's more of a personal preference.

I haven't read any other accounts of Vincent van Gogh's life, so I can't really say if this would be a decent introduction for someone who knows little. While the plot may not have engrossed me, I do think Leaving Van Gogh was a very insightful look at the debilitating effects of extreme anxiety and mental illness. Wallace does create a haunting portrait of an artistic genius with many inner demons and a lost spirit. An overall sense of melancholy consumes the novel, and it definitely is not an uplifting read. If you are a fan of van Gogh's work or interested in psychology/mental illness then I would recommend reading this, but for anyone else I say skip.

Leaving Van Gogh is a historical fictionalization of the final weeks preceding Vincent Van Gogh's suicide. He spent that time living Aurves, France and formed a good friendship with Dr. Paul Gachet, a physician that specialized in mental illness.

I had trouble getting into this book. I chose it because I love Vincent Van Gogh's paintings and wanted to learn more about him. However, he was really just a supporting character in this book. The reader never gets to know what's going in his brilliant mind. The story is told by Dr. Gachet and he is the center of the story.

The story meandered back and forth in time and at times I had trouble remembering if Gachet was talking about the past or present. The last fourth of the book picked up but I did not care for the ending. (I won't spoil it for you.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it to be well researched and well written. While it's no secret to anyone that Van Gogh died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, I like the little twist the author gives to this incident.

I very much enjoyed the descriptions of his work and his process. While reading, I would often look up the painting which was being discussed in the narrative, to help in my visualization of the scene.

Highly recommended.

I was hoping for much more with this book. Although it was interesting to hear everything told from Dr. Gachet's point of view, I just didn't like it as much as I hoped I would.

Wallace does a great job of weaving Dr. Gachet's story as it winds in and out of Vincent's work. It was a better read with the Art Authority app on iPad that allows one to look at all of Van Gogh's paintings as you read. The tragedy of being a doctor who cannot save the ones you love or come to love as they get sicker and sicker is heart breaking, however, Wallace mires the impact in writing that is uneven. She is a better art historian than a fiction writer. Her descriptions of the Hôpital Salpêtrière is worth a second read or listen on audible. The book did inspire me to pursue my own painting more seriously this year, and that was worth reading the slow parts.

Puts in perspective the helplessness and vulnerability of those with mental illness, so often accompanied by genius. Poor, tortured Vincent... I liked this book much better than I expected to.

This is an amazing book...I saw it randomly at the library last week, and I am so glad I grabbed it. Vincent Van Gogh was a brilliant painter, and I always love to learn more about what his life could have been like. It's well worth the read. :)

A grim look at the work of a doctor whose only true claim to fame was the patient he couldn’t help

Leaving Van Gogh by Carol Wallace follows the story of Dr Paul-Ferdinand Gachet, the French physician who treated Vincent Van Gogh.

There are two theories one may draw from this story as we follow Dr Gachet, his early life, his association with Van Gogh and its results, and the unfortunately aftermath:
1) Was it even possible to save Van Gogh from his troubles?
2) Was Dr Gachet even good at his job?

Dr Gachet considered himself an artist, but I’d argue he was only an artist because he thought he was one…and he treated and knew other artists so he clearly felt he was just as qualified as them.

Would someone who felt themselves a medical professional…who got to know Dr Gachet…be qualified to claim to be a doctor?

Was Dr Gachet even a talented doctor or only followed the profession because he was a terrible artist?

I have a low level of option for Gachet and feel he took up treatment of Van Gogh in an effort to help himself…and might have done more harm than good.

The novel is fairly dry and didn’t do anything to improve my negative opinion of Gachet. It also didn’t do much to add to my knowledge of Van Gogh (outside of significant attention paid to Gachet’s background.

Not as interesting as I hoped…

This book was interesting from an art history perspective, but the pace was a little slow. I was hoping for a bit more action although I still enjoyed reading it.